Seabed BRUVS Dataset

Overview

The Seabed Baited Remote Underwater Video (SBRUV) protocol is used to survey fish communities across a wide range of reef-associated and coastal habitats. It is especially effective for detecting large, cryptic, or disturbance-sensitive species — including reef sharks and carnivores — that may be underrepresented in diver-based methods.

Each SBRUV station consists of a stereo-video rig deployed on the seafloor for a fixed soak time (typically 60 minutes). Only the first hour of footage is analyzed. Bait is used to attract fishes into view, and species are identified using standardized video protocols.

SBRUV data are organized into two interlinked tables:

  • sbruv.stations — Deployment metadata, including spatial context, rig setup, bait, and video info
  • sbruv.maxn_by_taxa — Species-level summaries per station, based on MaxN and linked traits

Species are standardized using accepted_aphia_id, enabling integration with taxonomy.fish.


Tables


Stations (sbruv.stations)

This table contains one row per Seabed BRUVS (SBRUV) deployment. Each record represents a unique baited camera drop and includes spatial coordinates, depth, time, and key deployment metadata (e.g., bait type, stereo camera models, rig ID).

This table serves as the spatial and sampling reference for associated fish observations stored in sbruv.maxn_by_taxa.

Table 1: Additional fields to the core site fields in the sbruvs_sites table
Field Type Required Description
ps_site_id STRING true Unique site ID (exp_id_method_###), e.g., FJI_2025_sbruv_001.
exp_id STRING true Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR).
method STRING true Survey method (sbruv).
region STRING true Region name.
subregion STRING true Subregion name.
locality STRING false Optional local feature (e.g., bay, channel, reef).
date DATE true Date of SBRUV deployment (YYYY-MM-DD).
time TIME true Start time of video recording (HH:MM:SS).
latitude FLOAT true Latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).
longitude FLOAT true Longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).
lead STRING true Name of the field lead or technician.
time_out TIME false End time of the deployment (optional; used to calculate soak time).
depth_m FLOAT true Depth (m) of the camera on deployment.
habitat STRING true Dominant habitat type (e.g., fore reef, mangrove, channel).
exposure STRING true Exposure type (windward, leeward, lagoon, etc.).
bottom_type STRING false Description of substrate or bottom type at deployment site.
rig_id STRING true ID of the camera rig used (e.g., RIG01).
left_cam STRING true Model or serial number of the left camera.
right_cam STRING true Model or serial number of the right camera.
bait_type STRING true Type of bait used (e.g., sardines, skipjack, local fish).
highlights STRING false Notable events or field notes (e.g., large predator presence, gear issue).
notes STRING false Additional comments or QA annotations.

MaxN by Taxa (sbruv.maxn_by_taxa)

This table contains station-level summaries of fish detections from Seabed BRUV deployments. Each row represents a unique combination of ps_site_id and species, with associated metrics derived from standardized video analysis.

The primary metric is maxN, defined as the maximum number of individuals of a species observed simultaneously in a single video frame during the first hour of footage. This conservative estimate is widely used in BRUV analysis to avoid double-counting individuals.

All taxonomic fields are standardized via accepted_aphia_id, enabling linkage to taxonomy.fish. Additional traits (family, trophic group, etc.) are included to support community structure and trophic composition analysis.

Table 2: Schema for sbruv.maxn_by_taxa: station-level fish detections and MaxN metrics
Field Type Required Description
ps_site_id STRING true Unique site ID for the SBRUV deployment.
accepted_name STRING true Scientific name of the detected species (Genus species).
accepted_aphia_id INTEGER true WoRMS AphiaID; links to taxonomy.fish.
family STRING true Family of the taxon.
trophic_group STRING true Trophic group classification (e.g., top-predator, herbivore/detritivore).
maxn INTEGER true Maximum number of individuals observed simultaneously (MaxN).
maxn_per_min FLOAT false MaxN standardized by soak time in minutes (optional, if soak time varies).
mean_length_cm FLOAT false Estimated mean length (cm) of individuals, if measured.
min_length_cm FLOAT false Minimum estimated length (cm), if available.
max_length_cm FLOAT false Maximum estimated length (cm), if available.
notes STRING false Optional annotations or QA comments for the record.